The Cattleya Guest House

We felt completely looked after, and the room was comfortable, clean, and nicely decorated. It’s quiet here, yet just a short walk from lots of restaurants. Long before we arrived, Asoka got in touch to offer help planning things to do in Sigirya. We booked a hot air balloon ride and safari through him, both great quality and value. He even paid the balloon deposit with his own money. At 4am on balloon morning, he turned on all the property lights and checked for elephants, which are common at night in Sigirya, then waited with us until pickup to make sure we were safe. He found us a tuk tuk to Pidurangala rock with about five minutes’ notice, and after checkout he drove us and our luggage to our next accommodation. Asoka and the staff are incredible. He’s one of the kindest people we’ve met on our travels. Highly recommend staying here, even at twice the price it would still be excellent value.

The wildlife in the garden was amazing to watch from outside the apartment. We saw two kinds of monkey, an eagle, bats, lots of birds, and two kinds of squirrel. The food was fresh, healthy, tasty, and had plenty of choices. Ashoka made it to suit my gluten-free and sesame allergy requirements. He arranged friendly, safe drivers in clean cars for Eco Park Elephant Safari, Polonnaruwa, and a sunrise hike up Pidurangala Rock. He also helped with laundry and transfers, all at no extra cost. The new air conditioning was very powerful, and the place is right by the main attractions.

We didn't have time to try breakfast at Ashoka’s place, though it looked really good. He helped us book a safari and arrange a taxi, and even pointed out the elephants that pass through his garden. Incredible stay, we can't recommend him enough!

We felt at home at Cattleya Guesthouse and wished we’d booked more nights. The garden view from the room’s own terrace was beautiful, and you can see Lions Rock right from the garden. The guesthouse has new air conditioning, and breakfast is generous and excellent, with many fruits and vegetables picked straight from the family garden. Our host Ashoka was great to communicate with, very welcoming, and happy to arrange every trip we wanted at very fair prices. He has many useful contacts, and the cab and tuktuk drivers he found for us were always friendly and reliable. We had lovely chats with him too. We went on a night hike to see Slender Loris, saw lots of elephants on safari, visited Polonnaruwa, and hiked both Lions rock and Pidurangala. A hidden gem. We’ll definitely be back, thank you so much!